Let's just get what's getting tiresome out of the way first so we can focus on more important things, shall we?

Is it just me or is the hazing getting old?

Yes, the theme is that life is like high school and social cliques exist long after adolescence, but week after week, the juvenile pranks are starting to grate. We had the nurses hazing Emily first, and tonight's "doppelwanger" escapades were abundant. Sure, let her fall in the ER and be embarrassed. There's no need to turn that embarrassment into a running gag that doesn't make sense in the context of the episode aside from some doctor we don't know and have never met hazing a resident. Enough with those shenanigans.

Whew. Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's move on.

Emily asked Will to stop seeing Cassandra last week and he agreed. This week, Cassandra asked for her help and Emily, after hearing Cassandra say that she's a good person, realized that perhaps she'd gone about the Will/Cassandra romance the wrong way. Maybe it wasn't her place to interfere. The guilt of what she'd asked of him had been eating at her because it's not in her nature to be selfish. Her selflessness is what makes her a good doctor.

She got involved with the drug-addicted patient despite Dr. Bindari's warnings against doing so because she believed she could help. She believed she could make a difference. That any personal risk she took by refusing Dr. Bindari's advice was worth it.

Her selflessness is what makes her a good friend. But it's also a weakness.

Emily's biggest challenge is her inability to say no.

She couldn't say no to the drug addict who asked for her help. She can't say no to whatever scheme Tyra cooks up, and man, does Tyra ever cook up some schemes.

She couldn't refuse to give Micah's mother the answers she wanted when she sensed that Micah hadn't told her the truth. Emily was, in my opinion, right to answer Micah's mother's questions. Micah was wrong to withhold the information in the first place.

Emily's kind of like Cindy Lou Hoo, I think. No matter what the Grinches in her life take, she just keeps giving. But she's slowly learning that she can't give exponentially. Life is give and take.

And perhaps she'll learn that lesson from Cassandra who was tolerable this week. Maybe even likeable. Even if her actions throughout the episode were motivated by the desire for something in return, her revenge prank at the end against the ER doctor softened me just a little toward the character. But only a little.

What did you think of this week's Emily Owens, M.D.? Did Cassandra seem more human somehow?

Follow Emily Owens, M.D.

lulu•November 25, 2012 21:09

Thank you, that probably explains it! Maybe not all the children of great actors are guaranteed to be great or even mediocre actors themselves, but in this case it seems to be working out! Her face is just so interesting, and she manages to convey all kinds of complex feelings in a realistic way. The show is a little silly, so she can do silly, but then in the same breath manage to be serious and thoughtful.

T•November 25, 2012 14:57

@ Miranda: That's probably the smartest thing to do! I'd love to see shows get ABO blood types right just once. @ Lulu: The actress is Mamie Gummer. I've never seen her in anything else, but IMDb says she's been in The Big C, The Good Wife and Off the Map. More importantly, she's Meryl Streep's daughter. The family resemblance in both looks and talent is fairy apparent, I'd say.

Lulu•November 24, 2012 06:37

Ugh, the character limits are so pathetic. Anyway, as I was saying, Writers, it's time to listen to your medical advisors a bit more closely. Stop interfering with our willing attempts to suspend belief; it ruins our fun. Doctors simply don't do half the stuff you show them doing, even interns. OK, now, this is the main point: WHO IS THIS ACTRESS PLAYING EMILY?! She is AMAZING. Seriously, I have never seen her before--has she been in other shows or movies? I realize this is a fairly low-key CW dramedy, but she is absolutely wonderful. She nails every scene. She makes you care about a show that has--I hope this is the right term--low production values, at best. E.g. the editing is awful. Anyway, I love her. She sells the whole thing. And Micah is utterly adorable like a bunny rabbit, and I even like Cassandra. Glad they redeemed her a bit this week; it was getting to be over-the-top.

Lulu•November 24, 2012 06:34

So... a few years ago I was a Gossip Girl fan, and then it turned into a lousy soap opera. Luckily, last year as GG went down in flames, it led the disgruntled viewer straight to a newer and better substitute: Hart of Dixie! At first I couldn't stand that show, but now I see the wisdom of its ways and I LOVE IT! Over the last few weeks, things have gotten even better, because now I have discovered Emily Owens, M.D.! The "M.D." aspect of this show is pretty ridiculous. I get the sense that they have a doctor providing info, but that the writers choose to dismiss this helpful insight in favor of being led by their own whimsy. And that's fine, because the show is somewhat whimsical, but it's a shame because the show also has serious, touching moments, and helping the reader to suspend disbelief more easily would be a gift. I don't want to be thinking to myself that whatever is happening would never in a thousand suns be happening; I just want to enjoy the scene. So come on, listen to your doctors, writers. In other news, the actress who plays Emily Owens is FABULOUS!!! Where did they find this woman? Seriously, I know it's a lighthearted little CW dramedy, but she is an AMAZING actress. Has she been in anything else before? Wow. Micah is also adorable. They go a little over-the-top with Cassandra and luckily corrected it a bit this week, which is good because she's pretty likeable when they're not making her an irredeemable witch. Anyway, good show!

@T--I thought the same thing you did regarding the children being a match. That because they were a match, neither child was the biological offspring of the father. I'm chalking this one up to "TV Medicine" and calling it a day.

T•November 22, 2012 16:02

@db: What I had heard (and I had a text message at the time, so again I might have missed something) was the parents both had blood type A, and the son B, but the daughter matched, i.e. was also B. If I heard correctly, then neither child could be the father's. Of course they share common alleles from the mother.

db•November 22, 2012 14:21

@T the daughter and the brother still share the same mother so they have common alleles.

ma•November 22, 2012 13:09

...complicated triangle-rectangle-pentagon(?) what with Cassandra and the OBGYN who's with Micah. Plus, Rick was so darn attractive, I wish he wasn't useless to the story anymore ;) An appearance of Alan Zolman would be interesting too! :DI can't wait for the Tyra being gay thing to come to a head! It annoys me how she pulls Emily in and doesn't even seem apologetic for the consequences (nurses ganging up on her, the whole Rick thing). She needs to feel guilty.So, it seems like this show will be canceled. That breaks my heart! This is an amazing show, and I would really love to see how the writers further explore Cassandra, and the love pentagon! It'd be an injustice if the viewers couldn't see the storylines played out to their full capacity. I check TVF's website constantly for details, so thanks for putting this stuff up! :)

ma•November 22, 2012 13:07

I just had myself an Emily Owens marathon yesterday! :)I'm not sure if I would say I'm a fan of Will/Emily romantically, but I am definitely a fan of their friendship. They support each other, and I love their conversations. I love how they play Bananagrams. Also, when Emily was "sleeping" I love that Will looked over at her (think this was episode 2).I don't know what to think of Cassandra. She can be a total B, but at the end of episode 5, I liked what she did. I think her character isn't going to always be the good person, which will make Emily's life more interesting. But she does have redeeming qualities. Once in a while.I want more Micah/Emily interaction! They're great together. I am seriously hoping for them to be together. Although when Rick was on the screen, I completely forgot about Will & Micah... but then he turned out to be a bust. It might have killed the triangle, but I would have definitely enjoyed an addition to the already complicated triangle-rectangle-pentagon(?) what with Cassandra and the OBGYN who's with Micah. Plus, Rick was so darn attractive, I wish he wasn't useless to the story anymore ;) I also wouldn't mind an appearance of Alan Zolman :DI can't wait for the Tyra being gay thing to come to a head! It annoys me how she pulls Emily in and doesn't even seem apologetic for the consequences (nurses ganging up on her, the whole Rick thing). She needs to feel guilty.So, it seems like this show will be canceled. That breaks my heart! This is an amazing show, and I would really love to see how the writers further explore Cassandra, and the love pentagon! It'd be an injustice if the viewers couldn't see the storylines played out to their full capacity. Anyway, I am constantly checking TVF's website for details, so thank you for posting this stuff up! :)

I absolutely love this show, and this episode just built on that! I absolutely love Micah, and my only complaint would be that there wasn't enough of him. I sure hope we get to see more of his mother too! I love her, and I love her with Emily. Cassandra was tolerable this week. I may yet come to deal with her existence.